Conventional poster mounting systems usually require securing means which will injure or destroy a poster when mounted on or removed from a display surface. The common use of adhesives, such as tapes and glues, present the problem of tearing the poster's backside, frequently destroying the frontside (exhibit side) when removed from a wall or other like planar display surface. Over the years, attempts have been made to overcome the usage of adhesives as poster or picture mounting means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,301,885 to Tobiason et al., shows a picture mounting system including an elongated U-shaped clamping member equipped with a suction cup device for securing the clamp to a wall or window. The picture is adapted to be received within the U-shaped clamp and retained therein by means of encompassing clamp rings which squeeze the clamping member tightly around/against the picture. While this mounting system may accommodate different sized pictures, the clamp's tension on the picture may have a tendency to pinch or injure a non-rigid picture retained within the clamp.
Mounting systems which utilize magnet or other like picture securing means, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,345,709 to Bearman, 3,965,599 to Ebner, and 4,211,382 to Bonfils, all require specifically mounted wall backings which must be built either into or on a display surface preventing easy and quick assembly of the mounting system and can only accommodate posters whose perimeters are equal to or less than the perimeter of the wall backings. Furthermore, the utilization of corner mounting brackets (brackets which include spikes or nails for insertion into a wall, each bracket adapted to receive and support one corner of a picture, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,752,297 to Gillette), may provide for easy and quick mounting of various sized pictures, but cause extreme damage to display surfaces each time a bracket must be repositioned and reinserted into the display surface to accommodate pictures of various sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 505,771 to Kohr shows a device for attachment to a music rack or the like for holding leaves or pages of music against accidental displacement while permitting them to be intentionally moved without danger of injury thereto. The device includes a lever, a fulcrum for supporting the lever, and a leaf or tongue spring for biasing the lever firmly into contact with the page. This device does not include any means to adjust the tension of the lever against the page. The tension in the spring is constant no matter what the position of the lever. Severe and firm attachment cannot be obtainable with the amount of tension obtainable from a leaf spring and is not desirable in a leaf holder.
No poster or picture mounting system has previously been available which will prevent damage to posters when removed from display surfaces and has the capability of securely and firmly mounting exhibits of various sizes. Due to the increasingly high cost of framing art exhibits, there is a great need for such an inexpensive mounting system that can easily be installed and assembled onto any planar display surface.